Leave. Not because it's a happy ending, but because it's the only one that wraps up Laura's storyline as well, which from a storytelling perspective is good. We see all of the characters that venture into the town have some form of closure, be it death or acceptance (or both), but having Laura just vanish after the hotel scene and never appear again doesn't sit right with me. The thought that James would honor Mary's dying wish to have Laura be adopted leaves me with at least a positive note that James would do that in the first place, rather than ending it all/abandoning her altogether. Mary loved Laura. The least James could do for his wife is to at least make sure she's taken care of.

On the flipside, I like the possibility of Rebirth ending up like a creepy Stephen King story. Pet Sematary, anyone?

I liked the first one so much more, though, with that crazy fuckin' synth music and the creepy SILENT HILL vocal.

Also, where the hell have you been? D:

Goodness, I feel even worse responding to this a month after the fact...Definitely, the original was wonderful, and 2 might be the weakest (besides origin's, in my opinion), but it's still fun. Someone has to make a case for it!

Been busy with grad school summer course on independent film, internship at a motion graphics studio, girlfriend, and everything else in general. I mostly lurk the boards at the moment, and that's usually every other day. Stuff!I'm not gone, by any stretch of the imagination, I assure you.

The ending I got in my first play-through was In Water, I liked that ending because it was so tragic, and I almost picked it for that reason. But, the Maria ending has been the one that I remember most.

I think because it showed James as selfish, and any sympathy I had for him before is now gone. It's more unexpected to me to have the game end this way. Rebirth was surprising to me as well, but it had a more creepy feel to it. Where as the Maria ending had me left feeling confused as to whether I was satisfied with the out come or not.

So, I chose the Maria ending not necessarily because I thought it was a good ending. More because I reflect more about how this ending made me feel, and my thoughts towards it more than any of the other endings. And I think it's powerful for that reason.

It occurs to me that this topic is kind of like a Rorschach test: which ending you prefer is an expression of your personality.

"Leave" is kind of the traditionalist conclusion; it's not the happy-happy of a Disney flick, but it represents James successfully completing his journey and moving on.

"In Water" is kind of tragic-operatic, and there is a very real market for that. Just look at Shakespeare if you don't believe me. Just because I prefer "Twelfth Night" to "Romeo and Juliet" doesn't mean everyone thinks as I do.

"Maria" is a puzzler. I could see the appeal without Maria's coughing, but not with it.

And "Rebirth"? Well, I think that if you like "Rebirth", you're the kind of person who sets their own rules rather than accepting traditional ones. If you ever read "Tuck Everlasting", you know that the female protagonist faces a choice between a limited lifespan in a cold, hard, unforgiving traditional world, or an unlimited lifespan in a fun, happy, and free world with someone she loves. And yet she chooses the former, because our culture regards immortality as a bad thing, and most people (myself included) believe that cheating death comes at a high price. If you can ignore such things, you might see the appeal in James's plan to bring Mary back to life, and might believe that it could work.

In Water is probably my favorite ending, but that's because it just fits the story the best, given it's melancholy tone throughout. Leave's pretty good and works pretty well too, I just don't think it matches the game as perfectly as In Water.

I guess the reason I can't go with "In-Water" is because I just can't deal with any story in which the hero goes through an extensive ordeal but fails to accomplish anything. We all have our pet peeves, and that is one of mine. Maybe my chief one, as far as stories go. That or characters whose actions simply make no sense. To its credit, "In-Water" doesn't suffer from that.

A few other equally loathsome examples:

"A Story About Ping" - Old kid's story about a little duck who runs (waddles?) away to avoid getting spanked by his owner. Goes through a massive ordeal, and when it's over? He still gets spanked by his owner.

"A Few Good Men" - Young lawyer goes on major investigation, trying to avoid the ruination of his clients. One guy dies as a result of his actions. Two others (at least) are indicted. And in the end? The guy's clients are still ruined: their productive life (in or out of the service is over). Massive death and dishonor, America herself is weakened, and nothing gained.

In "In-Water", James goes into Silent Hill. He faces death from all directions, and fights savagely for his life, even killing another person in the process. So after all this is over, and James trudges away from the rooftop, leaving bloody footprints behind him... he kills himself. The end result is no different than if he simply let that first monster he met spit acid at him until he expired. For that reason, I consider these two events to be equivalent: getting "In-Water" is just a glorified "Game Over".

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Now regarding "Maria"...

I mentioned characters whose actions make no sense being another pet peeve... well, it could be argued that we see a bit of that in "Maria". Simple acts of decency on James's part (checking on a companion who is obviously unwell, most notably) lead to the ending in which he is arguably at his worst-behaved. Admittedly, it can be argued that on some level, James knows that Maria isn't real, and protectiveness/concern for her is just deepening his denial. However, do we know that for sure?

Another minor issue I have with this ending is that from what I understand, the player generally has to make conscious decisions to get it: they have to take extreme measures to ensure Maria's physical safety, and look in on her more times than they naturally would. First-time players who aren't targeting any ending are most likely to get "Leave", or "In-Water". Was this a deliberate decision on Team Silent's part, or just one of the game's few flaws?

the In water and Dog endings are tied for me, though i wish joke endings didnt exist even though i love them (hard to explain sorry)

I like all of the endings, and even though i want to love the leave ending. in water feels more conclusionistic (not a word). I like to think the leave ending is canon since i really liked james and wanted him to survive the story, but it just doesnt really seem like much of an ending other than 2 people walking out of a foggy graveyard. It didnt just seem like much, but the in water does. I really like all of the endings though and im glad team silent didnt confirm any of them as canon.

I think what you mean is that in "In-Water", you know what happens. You may not like the answer you get, but at least you get an answer. James is dead.

I think that "Maria" is actually sort of similar: the evidence suggests that Maria will get sick the way Mary did, and the events that drove James to murder will repeat themselves. Still, there's a bit more wiggle room: a living man has more choices than a dead one.

In "Leave", you see Laura leaving and James departing behind her, and that's all. Instead of a decisive answer, there are more questions. Same with "Rebirth", for that matter.

Even if I don't agree with you, I understand where you're coming from. I wish "Leave" provided a few more answers than it does.

I think what you mean is that in "In-Water", you know what happens. You may not like the answer you get, but at least you get an answer. James is dead.

I think that "Maria" is actually sort of similar: the evidence suggests that Maria will get sick the way Mary did, and the events that drove James to murder will repeat themselves. Still, there's a bit more wiggle room: a living man has more choices than a dead one.

In "Leave", you see Laura leaving and James departing behind her, and that's all. Instead of a decisive answer, there are more questions. Same with "Rebirth", for that matter.

Even if I don't agree with you, I understand where you're coming from. I wish "Leave" provided a few more answers than it does.

yeee, you summed up exactly what i was trying to say exactly. The majority of these endings are open ended compared to the in water ending, and i wish they wearnt.

I have to say the Rebirth ending is the one I liked the most, because I personally would want my loved one back.

And it makes even more sense, because even after James learns the truth, he still wants to be with Mary (duh I know right). So he has two choices, either suicide, where he believes he could "be with her forever", or be with her in the physical world again, through the Ritual of Rebirth.